She was quick to change the subject to Cade, grilling me for information, much the same as Mason had. She wanted to know what had happened to change my mind about Sydney, so I told her about the conversation he and I had before they interrupted our kiss the night before. It made her happy that nothing was going on between him and Sydney, because she disliked her about as much as I did.
After sitting in my green accent chair while I sat on my bed, she asked, “So are you two official now? I mean, I’m just wondering because of the way you were last night.”
I chewed on my cheek then ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t know what we are,” I admitted with a shrug. “He hasn’t said anything about 'official,' and like I told Mason earlier, I’m still just as busy as I was when he said he couldn’t deal with my schedule two years ago. I don’t know if it can work out even if he wants it to go that way.”
“Ava, why are you being so negative?” she scolded, making me squirm. “You’ve been crazy about him for the last two years. If he wants it to be something, what could stop that from happening?”
“Well, there’s something I haven’t told anyone yet,” I admitted, then pinched my bottom lip between my fingers. Her questioning look made me feel like the worst best friend ever for keeping something so important from her. “I… uh… I was accepted into Vanderbilt’s engineering program.”
Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes practically popped out. She jumped up from her chair, launching herself at me to wrap me in a tight hug. I couldn’t help laughing because she had looked hilarious, but I was also surprised by her excitement. She pulled back and beamed. “That is amazing, Ava!” she exclaimed, but then her face fell a little when the news really sank in. “You’ll be moving. That’s why it won’t work.”
I could only nod. Her excitement was much preferred to the sudden gloom. “I am crazy about him, but I don’t think I could pass up such a huge opportunity in order to be with him. I haven’t given it too much thought because I don’t even know if that’s where things are going. I just don’t know.”
“Well, you don’t have to decide this second, and I’m still really excited for you and so proud of you. All your hard work is paying off.” She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
All my hard work was paying off, but it was also taking me away from my friends and my life in more ways than one. We went back to lighter topics but went to sleep only a little while later. Spending the night talking and catching up with her made me feel more terrible than anything else. I had so much on my plate, I was missing the best parts of my friendship. I made a promise to myself I would make more time for my friends, no matter what I had to put on the back burner to achieve it.
The next morning, we could barely keep our eyes open on the way to school, which was exactly what I had hoped for. Exhaustion and irritation were at the forefront while my classmates whispered behind my back. All the while, I wondered what Cade was doing, trying not to become angry with him for picking a fight with the class president on my behalf.
Luckily, I only had to tough out two days of school before the weekend was there. My lack of excitement for school and prom planning made the anger finally take over. School was my life. If I wasn’t enjoying it, what the hell was I supposed to do with myself?
Chapter Eighteen
Cade
Ava was constantly on my mind for the rest of the week. The need to see her, to talk to her, overwhelmed me. I sat at home each day, mostly playing video games, then I had work Friday and Saturday, but I had Sunday night off. Nothing I did occupied me enough to get Ava out of my every train of thought. It took all my control to not go see her when I got off work those two nights.
On top of missing her, I felt terrible knowing she probably got a lot of heat at school for the fight I caused, as well as all the curiosity about what happened to her car. That made me want to talk to her most of all—to make sure she was okay and that no one was overly rude to her.
By Monday morning, I was ready to make a deal with the freaking devil if it would get me off the hook. I settled for making a deal with my mom, knowing a surefire way to get out of my grounding, even if it was only a day early, but it seemed worse than making a deal with Satan himself.
Knowing she had a morning shift at the gas station, I woke up early and went out to get her a gourmet cup of coffee to sweeten her up. When I got back to the house, she was moseying around the kitchen, still in her pajamas.
She gave the cup of coffee suspicious sleepy eyes. “It’s come to bribery?” With a huge yawn, she rubbed her eyes. “It’s only been five days. You still have two left. I don’t think a cup of coffee is going to get you off.”
In faux shock, I gasped with a fist over my heart. “To think, my own mom would accuse me of bribery.” With the drink held to my nose, I took a deep breath. Yeah, I was caking it on, but her lips twitched at the corners, so I knew it was working. “Who’s to say I didn’t buy this drink for myself, huh?”
She glared at me, then the drink with her arms crossed. With a heavy sigh, she held her hand out for the drink. “Gimme,” she demanded. I chuckled when she yanked it from my grip then took a long drink. “This doesn’t mean I’m letting you off the hook.” She laughed, and I sighed.
I knew I couldn’t win so easy, but I was ready to pull the big guns out, no matter how much I didn’t like it. With a mischievous grin, I said, “That’s not all there is to my bribery.”
“What? You gonna offer to wash my car next?”
“Is that all it would take?” I raised my eyebrows, hoping to God that’s all it would take and I could skip my horrible idea, which would surely bite me in the ass.
Her face fell while she considered the cup of coffee for a long minute, which gave me my answer. “You really upset me, Cade.” The sadness in her eyes made my heart wrench. “The many times I had to explain away your behavior and try to talk you out of trouble were too many. I don’t want to have to do that here. Not now. It’s been almost three years—you can’t start this up again.”
Hands gripping the edge of the counter for control, I shook my head. “I told you this wasn’t me picking a fight for no damn reason. I know you don’t like her for whatever lame reason, but I couldn’t let someone talk about Ava that way.” Her snort earned a sharp glare from me. “And I’m sorry I let my anger take over, but that dick deserved it.”
“I may not like her, but she sure showed some balls shoving in here the other day.” She took another long drink. When she put it down, she crossed her arms again, giving me a lopsided smile. “The girl’s a fireball. I like that. But if you’re going to get in trouble because of her, I’m not going to warm up to her anytime soon.”
“I promise, I will not get in another fight because of her, but you have to remember you promised to be nice to her.”
“I said I would try.” She shrugged. “And you know that’s not what this is about. I feel like I’ve been too easy on you, so I’m sticking to this one. You’re grounded until Wednesday, period. That’s the day you go back to school. That’s the day you’re ungrounded.”
I wanted to argue with her, to tell her she wasn’t too easy on me. How could she think such a thing, when moving here had partly been about punishing me? I took a deep breath, getting my anger under control, before looking back at her.
“What if we compromised?” I asked. “What if I talked to Darrel about the internship… and I worked a little harder on playing nice with him?”
She put the coffee down, considering me. The light in her eyes said she really liked the idea, but I wasn’t sure if she would give in. Groveling just for her to unground me a couple days early was extremely lame, but I needed to see Ava. It had been five days!
“I won’t bargain with you over something I know you really don’t want,” she told me. “I would like for you to be nice to him, but I’m going to have to think over you being ungrounded. I’ll give you my answer when I get home from work.” Holding in a groan, I nodded. It was th
e best I would get for now.
My mom didn’t come home for her lunch break, so I had to wait until she actually got off to get an answer. I was beyond antsy when she came through the door at four fifteen, looking exasperated. She told me Darrel had taken her out to lunch and she had to go in for a shift at the steakhouse because they were shorthanded. Before going to her room to change, she fished my phone from her purse, holding it out to me.
“You’ve been surprisingly good about the whole grounding thing, so I’ve decided to let you off.” When I went to grab it, she pulled it back with a sharp look. “But you have a curfew of eleven, and on work nights, you come straight home.”
“Done,” I told her, and she handed it to me. I held in a sigh and bent down to give her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Love ya, Mom.”
“I’m sure you do.” She rolled her eyes, and I gave her a sheepish grin before dashing to my bathroom to freshen up.
I turned my phone on while I brushed my teeth. There were way too many texts and a few voice mails. Some of the texts were from kids at school, a couple even from Sydney—ones I deleted without opening—and the voice mails were all from Darrel. I would have to listen to them later, on account of the deal I made with my mom. The only text I paid any attention to was one from Ava, which she sent earlier that morning.
So… I know you don’t
have your phone, which
sux, BT Dubs but I
decided to tell you I
kinda miss you… and
the last five days have
sucked balls. Guess I’ll
see you at school in
two days.
It was freaking awesome she missed me and admitted to it, but it also terrified me. I didn’t want to screw this up by being a jackass. She may miss me and think I was some great guy, but back in Seattle, I had a terrible track record with girls. It wasn’t anything I did on purpose—I just didn’t realize how much of a dick I was sometimes. I sent a text back before turning the shower on.
Hey stranger! U home?
Her instant reply surprised me.
No. At school. I had to
finish the props for my
dance.
Want company? Mom let me off early for good behavior.
She didn’t respond right away, and I could imagine her debating with herself, which irritated me. I wanted her to be excited to see me. Waiting for a response was impossible, so I beat her to it.
I’m coming no matter what u say… c u in thirty.
The smiley face she sent made me hope she was excited to see me. After a quick shower, I rushed out the door. Wanting to do something nice for her, I stopped at The Coffee Shop to get us some drinks and pastries.
When I got to the school, I parked next to her dad’s Jeep at the front of the lot. Grabbing the drinks and the bag of pastries, I hurried to the prop room in the theatre department where I knew the bigger props for her dance concert were being held.
When I got to the door, I pushed it open with my back, since my hands were full. “Sorry I’m late,” I called out, adjusting the drinks and bag before turning around. The door closed behind me. “I thought you might want—” I broke off the second I looked up.
Ava was white as a sheet with wide eyes full of fear while Trent stood next to her with a hand wrapped around her upper arm. My blood ran cold, my stomach tightening. He must not have realized his hand was still on her until I dropped the drinks and bag and charged toward him since he let go as if it burned him.
Stumbling backward, he bumped into some props, knocking them over. Adrenaline dumped into my system, my mouth drying out as if I were chewing on cotton. My vision clouded around the edges, zeroing in on his bruised face while I gripped his pressed polo in my fists. Up close, he looked like shit. Dark black circles around his eyes, his lip still healing.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I shook him, making his head bobble on his shoulders. His eyes were wide, sweat beading on his forehead. All I could think about was how great it would feel to break his nose again. “You didn’t get enough the other day?”
“I just want-t-ted to talk t-t-to her,” he stammered, blocking his face with his hands. Pussy.
“The mark on her arm suggests otherwise,” I growled, pointing at Ava’s arm with my free hand. The angry, red band around her arm was already changing to a deep purple.
His mouth opened and closed, making fire burn through my veins. I couldn’t hold back. I wanted to make this fucker realize he should have left her alone. But then she was there. Her warm hands pressed against my chest, making the anger subside slightly.
“Don’t.” She shook her head, earning a questioning look from me.
My mind reeled, not quite accepting why she would stop me. I wanted to let loose, wanted to pound his face in. She glanced at Trent over her shoulder as he adjusted his collar while giving her a smug look. The punk was a tool. Her eyes were full of concern and still some panic when she looked back at me, but I wasn’t sure whether the fear was from him or me at that point.
“He deserves it, believe me, but I don’t want any more fighting.” She paused, staring deep into my eyes. It took everything in me, all my control, to keep my anger in check, to not snap at her to get the hell out of my way. “Please,” she pleaded.
Clenching my eyes shut, I took a deep breath, concentrating on her warm touch. When I opened them again, her eyes were pleading and full of apprehension, but I was glad the fear was gone. Turning her around, I tucked her under my arm, pulling her snug against my side. We faced Trent, who sneered at us.
“You’re lucky she’s here,” I told him, gripping her tighter, using her as an anchor. “I won’t finish what I started this time, but if I see or hear about you getting near her again, no one will be able to stop me.”
He scoffed, like an ass, and shrugged. “Whatever. You think you’re all tough, but the last time you took me by surprise.”
The kid was a punk, but he always showed his true colors when things got heated. “You really want to provoke me? Because I don’t give a shit whether she’s okay with it or not.” I moved forward, getting in his face again while he scrambled backward. True colors. “That’s what I thought.” I smirked without humor.
He straightened again. “I’m out of here. You’re a psycho.”
He shoved around me, making a growl rumbled low in my chest. He gazed over his shoulder at Ava, who still looked tense and a little pale. I wanted to make him pay so bad for making her feel threatened. My hands fisted at my sides as I clenched my teeth to fight against the rage trying to consume me.
“Things aren’t final with your ridiculous prom idea,” he sneered at her, and I tucked her under my arm again, mostly to keep myself from tackling him. “I talked to Betsy and made arrangements for the room she told me you refused. We’re having a meeting on Friday. Hope to see you there.”
Being sure to dodge the mess on the floor, he left the room. Ava closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. I didn’t know what happened before I showed up, but I was glad I had. She was stressed out of her mind, and that asshole had only added to it.
Me being on the verge of blowing up probably didn’t help. Adrenaline continued pumping through my veins, my muscles straining. I was in desperate need of some water or maybe a cigarette. Standing in front of her, I pulled her hands away. When she finally opened her eyes, I stared into those deep grays, which helped calm me.
“You okay?” I asked, trying to sound composed, but my voice was strained, and I was pretty sure she felt my hands shaking. The want to comfort her, to be there for her, was overshadowed by the anger that was an ugly beast pulsing through me.
“Are you?” She gripped my hands, staring into my eyes until I looked away and pulled my hands from her grasp.
Her seeing me strung out seemed to be about the worst thing to happen. I needed to do something, anything, to keep my mind clear and not hunt Trent down. “Yeah,” I said, hoping to reassure, but it did anything
but. Her gaze was full of confusion and worry when I approached the door.
“I need to clean this up.” I gestured toward the mess on the floor. Cleaning, yeah, that would help.
She came over, gazing at the milky puddle of her chai latte and my coffee mixed together on the floor and splattered on the door and wall. The paper bag was a soggy lump on the floor. All of this made the rage grip me again. I had wanted to do something nice to enjoy hanging out with her, and now those plans had gone to shit, taking my control with them.
“You got me a chai latte?” she asked, saying it like I had given her the most wonderful gift in the world.
But that gift was all over the fucking floor. “Yup,” I snapped, before going to the sink in the corner of the room to get a huge bundle of paper towels.
She didn’t deserve me being a dick. I didn’t even mean for it to be directed at her, but I was certain she took it that way based on the perplexed look she gave me when I came back with the towels. There was no way I could apologize, though. The need to hit something, to get the anger and adrenaline out of my system before I snapped, was all-consuming.
My teeth clacked together in a rhythmic beat while I cleaned up the mess. She watched for a minute, and I could tell her wheels were turning. She was trying to figure out what was wrong with me, trying to figure out if she did something to make me mad. If she said something of the sort, I would go over the edge.
“Look,” she sighed, and my gaze snapped to focus on hers. Great. Here it came. “I can finish this up and you can go do… whatever. I’m sure there’s something much more exciting you could be doing on your first night of freedom than putting mirrors together.”
Ava (A Hart Twins Novel Rx Book 1) Page 13
